2019 4CC info/tickets & planning thread (Feb. 5-10, Anaheim, California)

[Cayuse]

Does anyone have an idea of competition schedules? Would love to see ‘Come from Away’, but do not want to miss competition(s).

It is practice only on the 5th and 6th. Get tickets if you can!

 

[kwanfan1818]

The website lists the competition days as Feb 7-10, and you can be sure there will be events every night on the 7-9th. You would be safe for Feb 5-6, unless there are evening practice you won't want to miss.

 

[peibeck]

Does anyone have an idea of competition schedules? Would love to see ‘Come from Away’, but do not want to miss competition(s).

It will be in St. Louis at the beautiful Fox Theatre May 14-26, 2019. Since I'm a season subscription holder, I could probably order you advance ticket(s) late this summer.

 

[Lutzcy]

@clairecloutier , @peibeck @kwanfan1818 @Cayuse
Thank you so much,all. I’m waiting to hear from fellow skating fan, seatmate and Anaheim Hostess (all same person LOL)if we will go. @peibeck I may take you up on offer, depending...

Edited to add @Cayuse

 

[cygnus]

I'm a bit iffy on going. If I fly to los Angeles, how do I get to Anaheim from there? I won't rent a car- is there public transit? It looks too far for a cab or uber.

 

[misskarne]

I'm a bit iffy on going. If I fly to los Angeles, how do I get to Anaheim from there? I won't rent a car- is there public transit? It looks too far for a cab or uber.

I'm planning on flying into SNA (Santa Ana) which should only be a 15 minute taxi ride.

 

[cygnus]

I'll look into that- it might be easier, if my points will allow me to go there.

 

[overedge]

I'm a bit iffy on going. If I fly to los Angeles, how do I get to Anaheim from there? I won't rent a car- is there public transit? It looks too far for a cab or uber.

When I was in Anaheim two summers ago, there were both Amtrak and regional commuter trains that went from downtown LA (Union Station) to the Anaheim transportation centre, which is literally right across the street from the arena. This is the information for the regional (Metrolink) trains. https://www.metrolinktrains.com/rider-info/general-info/stations/anaheim/

It's about a 45 minute ride and it's pretty boring, mostly through industrial areas, but it's way better than driving or the bus.

There is now a bus that goes direct from LA airport to Union Station (which is a gorgeous 1930s era station, well worth seeing): https://www.metrolinktrains.com/rider-info/general-info/flyaway/

 

[Willin]

I'm a bit iffy on going. If I fly to los Angeles, how do I get to Anaheim from there? I won't rent a car- is there public transit? It looks too far for a cab or uber.

I'm planning on flying into SNA (Santa Ana) which should only be a 15 minute taxi ride.

John Wayne Orange County Airport - SNA is the best option. It's not far and there's tons of shuttles right to the hotels in Anaheim because Disneyland. In Anaheim itself there's buses and shuttles to use, but it's not an awful walk.

 

[overedge]

John Wayne Orange County Airport - SNA is the best option. It's not far and there's tons of shuttles right to the hotels in Anaheim because Disneyland. In Anaheim itself there's buses and shuttles to use, but it's not an awful walk.

The only thing that might be an issue is that it can be more expensive to fly into SNA than into Los Angeles. Because of all the people going to the Happiest Place on Earth, fares to SNA certainly aren't always as expensive as they are for some US "regional" airports, but they can still be more expensive than a flight directly into LA.

FWIW when I went to Anaheim (which was for a work conference, not to hang out with Mickey), my travel agent found a really good package deal with a flight into SNA and a hotel within walking distance of Disneyland, but no admission to Disneyland or anything else mouse-related. Apparently these types of package deals for Anaheim are not hard to find, because not everyone going there wants to pay the $$$ to stay at a Disneyland hotel and/or wants a pass to the parks. The hotel I was at (Super 8 Katella) was a 10-minute bus ride from the arena and the regional transportation centre (bus and train depot), so it would be a great place to stay for 4CCs.

 

[azcalder]

An alternative is to fly into San Diego and take the train north to Anaheim. It's about two hours, but almost 3/4 of it is along the Ocean - a beautiful ride.

 

[mkice9]

I'm adding to the chorus of people who are shocked by the price and the Ticketmaster fee! I was only budgeting in the low $200s. My plan will likely be to skip some events. The US Figure Skating email said, "Single-session event tickets will be available in late-fall 2018." Hopefully they're not outrageously priced!

Check out the Ground Transportation pages for LAX and SNA.
LAX: https://www.flylax.com/en/lax-traffic-and-ground-transportation
SNA: http://www.ocair.com/groundtransportation/
SNA is a great choice. Much closer than LAX and easier and faster to navigate.

 

[Japanfan]

This is very expensive? I remember going to 4CC in colorado springs, I don't recall it being this expensive?

$500. US does seem like a lot to me for 4CCs. I don't recall spending that much when the event was in Vancouver. However, I might well have done. It would have been relatively affordable to me because I live here and wouldn't have had to pay for accommodation. I don't travel much to skating competitions because paying for a hotel on top of the ticket price and meals/drinks out is prohibitive.

Also, $500 doesn't seem entirely unreasonable given that GP events (SFAIK) cost upwards of $200.00. You get to see way more skating at 4CCS. Granted, some of it is just painful, but even so you get the full experience of a skating event. In contrast, GP events are over pretty much as soon as they've begun.

 

[SpeedySucks]

$500 (plus nearly $100 in fees) is ridiculous for 4CC. This isn’t Nationals or Worlds. I would expect lots of empty seats - probably not a good idea to hold an event like this in a place that is so expensive.

 

[clairecloutier]

$500 (plus nearly $100 in fees) is ridiculous for 4CC. This isn’t Nationals or Worlds. I would expect lots of empty seats - probably not a good idea to hold an event like this in a place that is so expensive.

It's not an Olympic year, so all the senior medalists from U.S. Nationals will likely be at 4CCs. Plus all the top skaters from Canada, Japan, China, Korea, and Australia (barring injuries).

I agree the tickets are expensive. But if GP all-event tickets are $175-$200, it makes sense that 4CCs all-event would be more. Don't get me wrong, I wish tickets were topping out at, say, $300 or $400, instead of $500. But it is a high-level event. Theoretically, prices would be comparable to Europeans. How much are those tickets, usually?

 

[zebraswan]

The tickets to 4CC in Taiwan were free! Anaheim isn't too far from me, but there's no way I would ever drop that much for this competition (that said, I generally prefer the Euro skaters anyway, which makes the decision even easier). This is not Worlds and I don't think I'd even pay that much to see Yuzuru, on the slight off chance that he did decide to compete there.

 

[manhn]

I cannot imagine travelling anywhere in California without a car, except for San Fran.

 

[clairecloutier]

The tickets to 4CC in Taiwan were free!

I think that's because it was in Taiwan??

If it turns out they can't attract an audience at these prices, hopefully they'll learn something from it.

 

[SkateSand]

I priced out roundtrip airfare from my city to both LAX and SNA and it was about $100 more to fly directly to SNA, but it saves the time and hassle of getting from LAX to my Anaheim hotel. I wouldn't mind it so much on the way there, but returning home on Monday morning and having to coordinate bus/train schedules to make it to the flight out of LAX would have been a pain. I'll be flying straight to SNA - well worth it, in my opinion.

 

[mkice9]

The Vancouver GPF ticket prices are in Canadian dollars. The lowest priced all-event ticket of $175 + fees = $201. Using today's exchange rate, that is only US dollars $155.15 for the cheapest GPF seat, compared to Anaheim's US dollars $478.56 for the cheapest 4CC seat. Yes, 4CC is much larger: 2018 4CC had 78 competitors vs 2017 GPF's 24 senior competitors. Are the organizers saying you see 3x as many senior competitors so you pay 3x as much!?

 

[jkl]

I'm flying nonstop to LAX and taking Super Shuttle to my Anaheim Hotel.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Just bought my ticket. Whoopee! Haven't decided if I will drive or fly. Next I shall tackle a hotel room.

 

[peibeck]

$500 (plus nearly $100 in fees) is ridiculous for 4CC. This isn’t Nationals or Worlds. I would expect lots of empty seats - probably not a good idea to hold an event like this in a place that is so expensive.

The 2016 Boston Worlds tickets were $1300, more than twice the price than for 4CC.

Not sure when the 2020 Quebec Worlds tix will go on sale, but I expect them to be equally pricey (and hopefully not more so!!!)

 

[Spareoom]

Considering when I went to 4CC's in Taipei a few years ago it was FREE, these prices seem a little high to me, lol. But it's the US...there's more of a draw, so of course the tickets are going to be sold at the going rate.

 

[Oreo]

I'm a bit iffy on going. If I fly to los Angeles, how do I get to Anaheim from there? I won't rent a car- is there public transit? It looks too far for a cab or uber.

I live in Orange County and go to/from the airports all the time. From either LAX or SNA, there’s an overpriced Disney/Anaheim bus that stops at the major hotels. https://dre.coachusa.com/ At LAX you catch it at the same stop as the Flyaway Bus, and at SNA, you walk across the street on arrivals level.

There are no other practical public transportation options from SNA aside from the Disney Resort bus. Uber is good.

From LAX, you can take the Flyaway bus to Union Station for $9.75. There’s 2/hour, but the schedule is kind of a joke because of traffic. Union Station is great! From there you can take the Metrolink to Anaheim—if it works with your schedule in the morning or evening (it’s a commuter train) or Amtrak at a higher cost.

If you’re really traveling on the rock bottom cheap, you can take the Green Line from LAX to Norwalk (across South Central LA), free shuttle to the Metrolink Station, and then to Anaheim. PM me on that one!

When you arrive at the Anaheim station, you’re literally across the street from the Honda Center. You still have to get down Katella Blvd with your stuff to your hotel. Anaheim runs shuttle buses around the area, including to the Honda Center. More information here http://rideart.org/

I mentioned on the GS forum that many of the cheaper motels in the Anaheim area are used to house the homeless. Check on Tripadvisor or Booking. com before booking anything.

Hope this helps!

 

[misskarne]

I mentioned on the GS forum that many of the cheaper motels in the Anaheim area are used to house the homeless. Check on Tripadvisor or Booking. com before booking anything.

I found a couple of reasonably-priced hotels close to Disneyland. I figure it shouldn't be too hard to get to the arena from there, and I want to go to Disneyland anyway after 4CC. Of course, I'm still holding out hope that that hotel across from the arena is unavailable because USFS booked a huge block of rooms that they'll then release for special event rates.

 

[Carolla5501]

$500 (plus nearly $100 in fees) is ridiculous for 4CC. This isn’t Nationals or Worlds. I would expect lots of empty seats - probably not a good idea to hold an event like this in a place that is so expensive.

I think they are depending on the fans from Japan selling this out. And they might get a good draw from there.

I used to fly to Orange County every other week. (I worked there, but wasn't willing to move there )

If at all possible try to avoid LAX if you aren't used to it. It's a nightmare. SNA is your best option, but there are some other options for example Long Beach.

SNA also allows rideshare (Uber/Lyft) which would be a good option to get to your hotel. The ART (Anaheim Resort Transport) is a good option once you get to the area. If you rent a car most of the Anaheim hotels charge for parking.

 

[insideedgeua]

I think they are depending on the fans from Japan selling this out. And they might get a good draw from there.

Keep in mind that Taipei is a lot closer to Japan. Taipei was free in both 2018 and 2016, neither event was sold out.

Likewise South Korea in 2017 was closer to Japan. The prices were higher, but all events came to under $100USD. Once again, there were plenty of unsold seats.

When you cost out 8 sessions of skating at $50 per session, the $399 ticket doesn’t seem so bad. What really hurts and what I object to most is the almost $100 extra per ticket in fees and charges. That’s absurd.

 

[Carolla5501]

Keep in mind that Taipei is a lot closer to Japan. Taipei was free in both 2018 and 2016, neither event was sold out.

Likewise South Korea in 2017 was closer to Japan. The prices were higher, but all events came to under $100USD. Once again, there were plenty of unsold seats.

When you cost out 8 sessions of skating at $50 per session, the $399 ticket doesn’t seem so bad. What really hurts and what I object to most is the almost $100 extra per ticket in fees and charges. That’s absurd.

USFSA lives in Fantasyland so I think they expect that it will sell out and could be hoping for a large tourism boost from Asia to accomplish that (Skating and Disney... could sell some tours)

 

[insideedgeua]

Thats one heck of a premium for Disney then. Last time 4CC was in Colorado Springs the all event tickets were under $200 and no $90something booking fee either.